This week The Young and the Restless has seen a mass exodus of some of its most diehard fans thanks to the departures of Michael Muhney and Billy Miller. It’s clearly a time of change and in spite of the network renewing the show for a few more years, its’ fate truly lies in the hands of the fans. If the viewers quit tuning in then the advertisers will back away from buying spots and if that happens it’ll be one more soap that leaves the air.

Showrunner Jill Farren Phelps knows that this is ultimately in part a numbers game and there’s little doubt that it’s precisely the reason that Tristan Rogers is on his way back to Genoa City as Colin Atkinson. He originated the role back in 2010 and has checked in and out seemingly on an as-needed basis and well, his talents are surely needed now! The move was such a shock that the powers-that-be over at General Hospital, where Rogers has played Robert Scorpio on and off or decades didn’t even realize that he was leaving! Like, they had to rework February sweeps around his exit!

So what prompted Rogers to hop ship? It’s pretty likely that Phelps all but begged the actor to grace Y&R with his presence and his fans once again and promised to absolutely make it worth his while. Phelps knows that the show lost a lot of viewers with the departure of Muhney and I’m betting that she’s hoping that Rogers will hope to balance the scale a little bit with his fan base! The real question is how long Rogers will actually stick around. Is this going to be a lengthy stay or is it just another of Jill’s gimmicks to keep people tuning in? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!